¹The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, that I was in the citadel of Shushan, ²and Hanani, who is one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came, and I asked them about the escaped remnant of Jews who were left behind avoiding the captivity, and about Jerusalem. ³And they said to me, “Those remaining, who were left behind avoiding the captivity, there in the province, are in a very bad state and in disrepute, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned down with fire.” ⁴And it came to pass when I heard these things that I sat down and wept, and I mourned for a number of days, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵And I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and kindness to those who love him and to those who keep his commandments, ⁶may your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant which I am praying before you today, day and night, concerning the sons of Israel, your servants. And I confess the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against you, and that I and the house of my father have sinned. ⁷We have offended you badly, and we have not kept the commandments and the statutes and the ordinances which you commanded Moses your servant. ⁸Do remember the words which you commanded your servant Moses when you said, ‘If you act perversely, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹but if you return to me and keep my commandments and carry them out, even if any of you were to be driven out to the end of heaven, I would gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to set up my name.’ ¹⁰And they are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and with your strong hand. ¹¹Please, Lord^*, may your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in fearing your name. And do be propitious to your servant today, and show him compassion in the presence of this man, for I have become the king's butler.”